Police shoot woman along Magnificent Mile

Authorities say woman, in critical condition, reached for weapon

May 10, 2009|By Robert Mitchum and Dan P. Blake, Tribune reporters

A busy spring afternoon for Saturday shoppers and tourists on Chicago's Magnificent Mile was interrupted by the sound of gunfire as a police officer shot a woman during a struggle outside a luxury boutique where, authorities said, she had returned after having previously used a stolen credit card.

The woman, who had not been charged or identified as of Saturday night, was intercepted by police as she left the Louis Vuitton store in the 900 block of North Michigan Avenue about 12:30 p.m. Saturday. The woman struggled with an officer as she tried to flee in a car and then grabbed for his weapon, leading him to fire a shot into her abdomen, police said.

The woman was taken in critical condition to Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Two police officers suffered minor injuries and were treated at the same hospital, officials said.

The unusual sight of yellow police tape in front of the historic Drake Hotel drew a steady stream of curiosity-seekers toting shopping bags and cameras along the city's famed downtown shopping district. Some asked reporters if the heavy police presence was because of a celebrity appearance.

Earlier, hotel workers and passing tourists said they saw police officers surround a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo in which a man and a woman were traveling west on Walton Place.

"The guy jumped out and ran for it, but she tried to drive away," said Edis Sivac, who was walking by the Drake when the confrontation began. "The car kept stalling; it was moving back and forth. The police officers told her to stop, and the next thing I know I heard a shot."

Lucian Muresan, a valet at another Walton Place hotel, said he saw a police officer in the car's passenger side trying to get the woman to stop driving. At one point, the officer used a chemical spray to try to subdue the woman, Muresan said, but she continued to resist.

The woman previously had made purchases with a stolen credit card at the same store and was recognized by an employee, who contacted police, Cmdr. Eric Washington said. A store manager declined comment.

The man who fled the car returned to the scene a short time later and began asking onlookers, "Did they shoot her?" witnesses said. Those onlookers notified police officers, who arrested the man less than a block away.

The Independent Police Review Authority is investigating, a spokesman said.